gigil
What does gigil mean?
Gigil is a word used to describe the overwhelming feeling that comes over us when we see something cute.
Related words:
Where does gigil come from?
Gigil comes from the Philippines, where Filipinos describe their reactions to something overwhelmingly adorable in their native language, Tagalog. Ever seen a baby or pupper so unbelievably cute that you wanted to scream … or squish it? You’ve had a gigil moment!
The word doesn’t have a direct translation from Tagalog into English, but it’s not for lack of trying! Yale University psychologists Rebecca Dyer and Oriana Aragon created the term “dimorphous expression of positive emotion” in 2012 to describe the quasi-violent response to adorableness. It’s a mouthful, so for lay people, the researchers offer this shorter English version of gigil: Cute aggression.
So next time you see a unicorn that’s just so fluffy you’re going to die, you can just explain you had a gigil reaction.
Examples of gigil
see how he sort of clenche dhis teeth ? oof gigil :( cute
rex orange county has a “you’ve got a friend in me” duet with randy newman hahhahha he’s so softttttt i’m gigil
Baby clothes are even cuter when there’s a cute baby wearing them. #gigil
Who uses gigil?
NOTE
This is not meant to be a formal definition of gigil like most terms we define on Dictionary.com, but is rather an informal word summary that hopefully touches upon the key aspects of the meaning and usage of gigil that will help our users expand their word mastery.
